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Spanish has the very same construction - ",[67,68,69],"strong",{},"ser"," plus a past participle - but treats it as a marked, formal choice rather than the everyday default. Before you can use it well, you have to know two things it does that English does not, and one trap that looks identical but means something else.",[58,72,73,74,79],{},"This page assumes you can already build the past participle and that you have met ",[75,76,78],"a",{"href":77},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fser-vs-estar","ser vs estar",", because the whole topic turns on which of the two you pick.",[81,82,84],"h2",{"id":83},"the-one-structure-ser-past-participle-por-agent","The one structure: ser + past participle (+ por + agent)",[58,86,87,88,90],{},"The true passive is ",[67,89,69],{}," in whatever tense you need, followed by the past participle of the main verb.",[92,93,94,101,107],"ul",{},[95,96,97,100],"li",{},[67,98,99],{},"El libro fue escrito por Cervantes."," (The book was written by Cervantes.)",[95,102,103,106],{},[67,104,105],{},"La casa fue construida en 1900."," (The house was built in 1900.)",[95,108,109,112],{},[67,110,111],{},"El coche será vendido la próxima semana."," (The car will be sold next week.)",[58,114,115,116,119,120,123],{},"The thing the passive is about - the book, the house, the car - becomes the grammatical subject. Whoever did the action, if you mention them at all, comes in with ",[67,117,118],{},"por",": ",[67,121,122],{},"por Cervantes, por el viento, por una autora desconocida",".",[81,125,127],{"id":126},"the-participle-agrees-with-the-subject","The participle agrees with the subject",[58,129,130,131,123],{},"This is the first thing English does not do. In Spanish the past participle in a ser-passive behaves like an adjective: it ",[67,132,133],{},"agrees with the subject in gender and number",[92,135,136,142,148,154],{},[95,137,138,141],{},[67,139,140],{},"El libro fue escrito."," (masculine singular)",[95,143,144,147],{},[67,145,146],{},"La novela fue escrita."," (feminine singular)",[95,149,150,153],{},[67,151,152],{},"Los libros fueron escritos."," (masculine plural)",[95,155,156,159],{},[67,157,158],{},"Las cartas fueron escritas."," (feminine plural)",[58,161,162,163,166,167,170,171,166,174,177],{},"So you cannot just memorise one form. ",[67,164,165],{},"Construido"," becomes ",[67,168,169],{},"construida, construidos, construidas","; ",[67,172,173],{},"vendido",[67,175,176],{},"vendida, vendidos, vendidas",". Match the ending to the subject every time, exactly as you would with any adjective.",[81,179,181],{"id":180},"the-tense-lives-on-ser","The tense lives on ser",[58,183,184,185,187],{},"The second difference: all the grammatical work - tense, person, number - sits on ",[67,186,69],{},", never on the participle. You change ser and leave the participle to agree.",[92,189,190,196,202,208],{},[95,191,192,195],{},[67,193,194],{},"El libro es publicado cada año."," (present: is published)",[95,197,198,201],{},[67,199,200],{},"El libro fue publicado en 1605."," (preterite: was published)",[95,203,204,207],{},[67,205,206],{},"El libro será publicado en otoño."," (future: will be published)",[95,209,210,213],{},[67,211,212],{},"El libro ha sido publicado en muchos países."," (perfect: has been published)",[58,215,216,217,220,221,224],{},"Notice the perfect: ",[67,218,219],{},"ha sido publicado"," stacks the participle of ser (",[67,222,223],{},"sido",") and then the main participle. The pattern is regular - put ser into the tense you want and the passive follows.",[81,226,228],{"id":227},"ser-versus-estar-action-versus-state","ser versus estar: action versus state",[58,230,231,232,235,236,239],{},"Here is the trap. ",[67,233,234],{},"Estar"," plus a past participle also exists, but it does not report an action. It describes the ",[67,237,238],{},"resultant state"," the action left behind. Same participle, different auxiliary, different meaning.",[92,241,242,248],{},[95,243,244,247],{},[67,245,246],{},"La puerta fue cerrada."," (ser) - The door was closed: somebody closed it, an event.",[95,249,250,253],{},[67,251,252],{},"La puerta está cerrada."," (estar) - The door is closed: that is how it is now, no event in view.",[58,255,256,257,260,261,264],{},"The ser version reports something that ",[67,258,259],{},"happened","; the estar version describes how things ",[67,262,263],{},"are",". Compare:",[92,266,267,272,278,284],{},[95,268,269,271],{},[67,270,105],{}," (It was built in 1900 - the building of it.)",[95,273,274,277],{},[67,275,276],{},"La casa está bien construida."," (It is well built - its present condition.)",[95,279,280,283],{},[67,281,282],{},"El problema fue resuelto por el equipo."," (It was solved by the team - the event.)",[95,285,286,289],{},[67,287,288],{},"El problema ya está resuelto."," (It is already solved - the state.)",[58,291,292,293,295,296,298,299,123],{},"A quick test: if you can add ",[67,294,118],{}," plus an agent, you want the action, so ",[67,297,69],{},". If you are describing how something looks or stands right now, you want the state, so ",[67,300,301],{},"estar",[81,303,305],{"id":304},"why-spanish-reaches-for-it-so-rarely","Why Spanish reaches for it so rarely",[58,307,308,309,312],{},"Worth saying plainly, because it changes how you should write. Spanish uses the ser-passive ",[67,310,311],{},"far less than English does",". Where English happily says \"the house was sold\", a Spanish speaker will usually prefer one of two things:",[92,314,315,333],{},[95,316,317,318,119,322,325,326,325,329,332],{},"the ",[75,319,321],{"href":320},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-se","passive se",[67,323,324],{},"se vendió la casa",", ",[67,327,328],{},"se venden casas",[67,330,331],{},"se habla español",";",[95,334,335,336,339],{},"or a plain active sentence: ",[67,337,338],{},"vendieron la casa"," (they sold the house).",[58,341,342,343,346,347,119,350,325,353,356,357,359],{},"The ser-passive survives mainly in ",[67,344,345],{},"formal and written register"," - journalism, history, official prose - and above all when you want to ",[67,348,349],{},"name the agent with por",[67,351,352],{},"la novela fue escrita por una autora desconocida",[67,354,355],{},"la ciudad fue fundada por los romanos",". If there is no agent to name, the se-passive almost always sounds more natural. Reach for ser when the register is formal and the ",[67,358,118],{}," is doing real work; otherwise let se or the active carry it.",[81,361,363],{"id":362},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[92,365,366,372,378,384,390,396],{},[95,367,368,371],{},[67,369,370],{},"El cuadro fue pintado por un artista famoso."," (The picture was painted by a famous artist.) - agent named with por.",[95,373,374,377],{},[67,375,376],{},"Las casas fueron construidas el año pasado."," (The houses were built last year.) - feminine plural agreement.",[95,379,380,383],{},[67,381,382],{},"El coche ha sido vendido."," (The car has been sold.) - perfect, ha sido + participle.",[95,385,386,389],{},[67,387,388],{},"La ley será aprobada en otoño."," (The law will be passed in autumn.) - future on ser.",[95,391,392,395],{},[67,393,394],{},"La puerta fue cerrada por el viento."," (The door was closed by the wind.) - action, ser.",[95,397,398,400],{},[67,399,252],{}," (The door is closed.) - state, estar, no event.",[81,402,404],{"id":403},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[58,406,407,410,411,414,415,418,419,422],{},[67,408,409],{},"Not making the participle agree."," Writing ",[67,412,413],{},"la casa fue construido"," or ",[67,416,417],{},"las puertas fueron cerrado"," copies the single English form. The participle is an adjective here: ",[67,420,421],{},"la casa fue construida, las puertas fueron cerradas",". Match gender and number to the subject every time.",[58,424,425,428,429,432],{},[67,426,427],{},"Putting the tense on the participle instead of ser."," There is no \"fued\" or \"será-do\". The tense lives on ser alone: ",[67,430,431],{},"fue vendido, será vendido, ha sido vendido",". Conjugate ser and leave the participle to agree.",[58,434,435,438,439,442,443,446],{},[67,436,437],{},"Using ser where Spanish wants estar."," Saying ",[67,440,441],{},"la puerta fue cerrada"," to mean \"the door is shut (now)\" reports an event you did not intend. For the present state, use estar: ",[67,444,445],{},"la puerta está cerrada",". Ask whether you mean the happening or the condition.",[58,448,449,452,453,455,456,459],{},[67,450,451],{},"Overusing the passive at all."," Translating every English passive word-for-word gives heavy, foreign-sounding Spanish. Most of the time the ",[75,454,321],{"href":320}," - ",[67,457,458],{},"se vende, se venden"," - or a plain active sentence reads far better. Save the ser-passive for formal prose and for when you are naming the agent with por.",[58,461,462],{},"Get the agreement, the tense-on-ser rule and the ser-versus-estar split straight, and the passive with ser is mechanical. The harder skill is knowing when not to use it - and that is what the next page is for.",[81,464,466],{"id":465},"see-also","See also",[92,468,469,474,480,487],{},[95,470,471,473],{},[75,472,78],{"href":77}," - the choice that decides whether a participle reports an action or a state, the heart of this whole topic.",[95,475,476,479],{},[75,477,478],{"href":320},"The passive se and the impersonal se"," - the construction Spanish actually prefers, se venden casas and se habla español, where ser would sound heavy.",[95,481,482,486],{},[75,483,485],{"href":484},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fobject-pronouns","Object pronouns"," - how the active alternatives to the passive handle their objects, the everyday way round a passive.",[95,488,489,490,494],{},"The ",[75,491,493],{"href":492},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the ser-passive pattern and the ser-versus-estar split on one card.",{"title":496,"searchDepth":497,"depth":497,"links":498},"",2,[499,500,501,502,503,504,505,506],{"id":83,"depth":497,"text":84},{"id":126,"depth":497,"text":127},{"id":180,"depth":497,"text":181},{"id":227,"depth":497,"text":228},{"id":304,"depth":497,"text":305},{"id":362,"depth":497,"text":363},{"id":403,"depth":497,"text":404},{"id":465,"depth":497,"text":466},"B2","The true Spanish passive is ser plus a past participle, with the agent introduced by por: el libro fue escrito por Cervantes. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (la casa fue construida, los libros fueron escritos), while the tense sits on ser (es publicado, fue publicado, será publicado, ha sido publicado). It contrasts sharply with estar plus participle, which describes a resultant state rather than an action: la puerta está cerrada is how the door is, la puerta fue cerrada is something that happened to it. Spanish uses this passive far less than English, reaching for it mainly in formal, written register and when the agent is named with por.",[510,540,558],{"type":511,"instructions":512,"items":513},"fill-blank","Complete the ser-passive, making the past participle agree with the subject in gender and number.",[514,518,522,526,530,532,536],{"prompt":515,"answer":516,"hint":517},"El libro fue ___ por Cervantes. (escribir)","escrito","masculine singular subject",{"prompt":519,"answer":520,"hint":521},"La casa fue ___ en 1900. (construir)","construida","feminine singular subject",{"prompt":523,"answer":524,"hint":525},"Los libros fueron ___ el año pasado. (escribir)","escritos","masculine plural subject",{"prompt":527,"answer":528,"hint":529},"Las puertas fueron ___ por la noche. (cerrar)","cerradas","feminine plural subject",{"prompt":531,"answer":173,"hint":517},"El coche fue ___ ayer. (vender)",{"prompt":533,"answer":534,"hint":535},"La ventana fue ___ por el viento. (abrir)","abierta","feminine singular, irregular participle",{"prompt":537,"answer":538,"hint":539},"Los problemas no fueron ___ . (resolver)","resueltos","masculine plural, irregular participle",{"type":541,"instructions":542,"items":543},"translate","Translate each sentence into Spanish using the passive with ser, naming the agent with por where given.",[544,546,548,551,553,556],{"prompt":545,"answer":99},"The book was written by Cervantes.",{"prompt":547,"answer":105},"The house was built in 1900.",{"prompt":549,"answer":550},"The books were sold yesterday.","Los libros fueron vendidos ayer.",{"prompt":552,"answer":394},"The door was closed by the wind.",{"prompt":554,"answer":555},"The windows were opened in the morning.","Las ventanas fueron abiertas por la mañana.",{"prompt":557,"answer":111},"The car will be sold next week.",{"type":559,"instructions":560,"items":561},"which-one","Choose the form that fits: ser for the action (the passive) or estar for the resultant state.",[562,569,574,578,582,587,592],{"prompt":563,"options":564,"answer":565,"hint":568},"Somebody shut the door (the event): la puerta ___ cerrada.",[565,566,567],"fue","está","es","an action, true passive with ser",{"prompt":570,"options":571,"answer":566,"hint":573},"The door is shut now (how it is): la puerta ___ cerrada.",[566,565,572],"será","a resultant state, estar",{"prompt":575,"options":576,"answer":565,"hint":577},"The house was built in 1900 (the event): la casa ___ construida en 1900.",[565,566,567],"an action in the past, ser",{"prompt":579,"options":580,"answer":566,"hint":581},"The window is open now: la ventana ___ abierta.",[566,565,567],"present state, estar",{"prompt":583,"options":584,"answer":585,"hint":529},"Make the participle agree: las casas fueron ___ .",[585,586,520],"construidas","construido",{"prompt":588,"options":589,"answer":173,"hint":517},"Make the participle agree: el coche fue ___ .",[173,590,591],"vendida","vendidos",{"prompt":593,"options":594,"answer":118,"hint":597},"Name the agent: el libro fue escrito ___ Cervantes.",[118,595,596],"para","de","the agent comes in with por","md",[600,603,606],{"q":601,"a":602},"How do you form the passive with ser in Spanish?","Take ser in the tense you want, then add the past participle of the main verb, and make the participle agree with the subject in gender and number. El libro fue escrito (the book was written), la casa fue construida (the house was built), los libros fueron escritos (the books were written). The tense and person sit on ser - es vendido, fue vendido, será vendido, ha sido vendido - while the participle behaves like an adjective and matches the subject. If you name who did it, add por plus the agent: fue escrito por Cervantes.",{"q":604,"a":605},"What is the difference between ser and estar with a past participle?","Ser plus participle is the true passive and reports an action: la puerta fue cerrada means somebody closed the door, it was closed (the event). Estar plus participle describes the resultant state that the action left behind: la puerta está cerrada means the door is closed (how it is now), with no event in view. So la casa fue construida en 1900 reports the building of it, while la casa está bien construida describes its present condition. The same participle, a different auxiliary, a different meaning.",{"q":607,"a":608},"Why does Spanish avoid the passive with ser?","Because it has better-liked alternatives. Where English reaches for the passive, Spanish usually prefers the passive se (se venden casas, se habla español) or simply turns the sentence around into the active. The ser-passive survives mainly in formal and written registers - journalism, history, official prose - and especially when you want to name the agent with por: la novela fue escrita por una autora desconocida. In everyday speech it sounds heavy, and a native speaker would more often say se vendió la casa than la casa fue vendida.","higher","English loves the passive: the book was written, the house was built, the law was passed. Spanish has the same construction - ser plus a past participle - but uses it far more sparingly, and it works differently from the start. Two things make the Spanish passive its own beast. First, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, exactly like an adjective: el libro fue escrito but la novela fue escrita, los libros fueron escritos, las cartas fueron escritas. Second, all the tense and person live on ser, not on the participle: es publicado, fue publicado, será publicado, ha sido publicado. The agent, if you name one, comes in with por: fue escrito por Cervantes. The pitfall waiting for English speakers is estar plus participle, which looks identical but means something else entirely - a resultant state, not an action. La puerta está cerrada tells you the door is shut; la puerta fue cerrada tells you somebody shut it. This page maps the ser-passive, sets it against estar, explains why Spanish so often prefers the se-passive or a plain active sentence instead, and lists the mistakes to drop.","spanish",{},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-with-ser",{"title":47,"description":508},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpassive-with-ser","mDrcVkkQcBWb_S2JLUO9DHqdGKOWL293HUqxJNh0dfQ",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":619},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":621},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>"]